Playing Nine Innings while wondering how Marcus Walden stole Ryan Brasier’s powers . . .
1. I’ll admit it: I was quite convinced we weren’t going to see that version of Chris Sale again. You know, the one so dominant with that whip of a left arm that he finished in the top six in Cy Young voting for seven straight years, made seven straight All-Star teams, and at his best — and he almost always was at his best — was the American League’s version of Clayton Kershaw. Well, after a brutal, confusing, and worrisome start, this is Sale’s stat line over his last five starts: 33 innings, 18 hits, 6 walks, 7 earned runs, 59 strikeouts.